Timer



June 12, 1923.

J. H. STORY TIMER Filed Dec. 6, 1919 WITNESSES.-

yzuv ATTORNEY 0 Patented June 12, 1923.

v UNITED ST -res 1,458,252 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. STORY, or MERCHANTVILLE, NEW JERSEY.-

TIMER.

A'pplication filed December 6, 1919. SerialNo. 343,076.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN. H. STORY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Merchantville, .in the county of Camden and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Timers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to timers such as used on the Ford automobile andit has for one of its primary objects the provision of an improved timerwhich is much cheaper in construction and will have a greater life thanthe standard types of timers ordinarily used.

Among the more specific objects of my invention are the provision of ametallic race for the timer brush or roller in place of the fibre racewhich is customarily employed; and the provision of a novel arrangementof the contacts with such metallic race whereby the contacts areinsulated from the race.

The foregoing, together with such other objects as may hereinafterappear or are incident to my invention I obtain by means of aconstruction which I have illustrated in preferred form in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view looking into the faceof a timer embodying my invention; Figure 2 1.30 is a section taken onthe line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 33 ofFigure 1; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating amodification of my invention; and Figure 5 is a section taken on theline 55 of Figure 4.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2 and 3 the reference numeral 7 indicatesthe timer shell or housing provided with an arm 8 for connection withthe spark lever, said shell being apertured for the reception of thefour binding posts 9 which are insulated from the shell and positionedby the sleeves 10 and 11, when the nuts 12 are drawn up, as will bereadily understood from inspection of Figure 2. At their inner ends thebinding posts I are provided with the shoe or contact pieces 13. Withinthe shell is located a washerlike metallic member 14 which may besecured in place by any preferred means such as are shown for example inFigure 3 at 15, The washer 14 is provided with four apertures 16 withinwhich the contact pieces 13 project, the faces of the contacts and themember 14 being substantially flush.

The timer shaft is indicated at 17 and it carries the brush A which, inthe present showing, is of the wipe'contact type. It will of course beunderstood that the ignition wires lead to the binding posts 9 and aresecured thereto by means of the nuts 18 in the usual manner.

Especial attention is directed to the size of the contact pieces 13 withreference to the apertures 16, which latter are sufliciently large toprovide an insulating gap around the contact pieces such as will not bebridged by the current.

This construction has the following ad vantages :The plate 14 presents amuch superior surface for the brush to ride on for the reason that itdoes not wear out as rapidly as the fibre and is not affected by thelubricant which softens the face of the fibre races, the softenedmaterial being carried by the brush onto the contacts, frequentlycausing faulty firing. The life of the race is therefore obviously muchlonger than the fibre races and no difficulties such as those noted areencountered.

It will be apparent that the metallic race may be cast or stampedintegral with the shell and in Figures 4 and 5 I have shown aconstruction in which these parts are cast integral. In thisconstruction I have also shown the contact pieces 13 as insulated fromthe race 14 by insulating sleeves 19. This construction is alsoadvantageous for the reasons above noted and in addition it is to beobserved that the insulating sleeve presents but a relatively small areato the brush and therefore the liability of faulty firing by reason ofthe spreading of the fibre over adjoining surfaces is reduced to anegligible factor. In contradiction to this, in the ordinaryconstruction, of the total surface presented to the brush, a largeportion is fibre.

It will be obvious that various other embodiments of my invention may bemade and that the invention as defined is not limited to the precisestructure shown.

I claim:

1. The combination in a timer of a timer shaft, a rotating brush, anannular race composed of hard material such as metal on which the brushrides, said race being disposed at approximately right angles to theaxis of the shaft and being provided with apertures, and a plurality ofcontacts projecting into said apertures from a direction substantiallyparallel to the axis of the shaft and lying approximately flush with therace.

2. The combination in a timer of a timer shaft,-a rotating brush, anannular race composed of hard material such as metal on which the brushrides, said race being disposed at approximately right angles to theaxis of the shaft and being provided with apertures, and a plurality ofcontacts projecting into said apertures from a direction substantiallyparallel to the axis of the shaft an d lying approximately flush withthe race, said apertures being sufficiently larger than the contactstoprovide a space about the contacts of material extent,

3. The combination in a timer of a timer shaft, a brush, a timer shellprovided with an annular race disposed at approximately right angles tothe axis of the shaft and having a plurality of apertures, contactmembers materially smaller in cross section than the apertures extendingthrough the shell into said apertures and lying approximately flush withthe race, and insulating material in the space about the contactmembers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

J. H. STORY.

